Your liver plays a key role in many areas of your health, including how you feel with endometriosis, yet I continue to come across endo sisters that are unaware of this crucial connection.
So, today let’s explore what your liver does for you, signs that it’s sluggish, and symptoms that can show up as a result.
Your Liver’s Vital Roles
I’ve learned a lot more about the liver and its many important roles in Anthony William’s book, Medical Medium: Liver Rescue. It’s a dense book and full of fascinating information. William explains how your liver is responsible for the following key activities in your body…
1. Processing fat and protecting your pancreas
Whenever you eat fat your liver releases bile to break it down to be used as an energy source. If you’re eating a diet that’s high in fat, whether healthy or unhealthy, the more your liver has to work.
Your liver tries to protect your body from excess fat because otherwise your pancreas is impacted and forced to produce more and more insulin.
2. Glucose and glycogen storage
Your liver lives on oxygen, water, glucose and mineral salts. According to William, glucose is the real fuel. Getting high-quality glucose from healthy sources such as fruit is great for your liver. (I certainly have felt better since upping my fruit intake.)
Glucose is energy and glycogen serves as long term fuel in between meals. It’s your liver’s job to store glycogen for later use, but if it’s overburdened then it has a harder time with this and blood sugar issues can show up.
3. Vitamin and mineral storage
Your liver stores nutrients that your stomach and intestines converted during digestion into forms that your body can use. Your liver then releases them into your blood stream to your organs and tissues.
Unfortunately for those of us with chronic illness your liver’s likely overcrowded with toxins that it collected to help protect your body, which leaves less room for the vitamin and mineral storage.
4. Disarming toxins
Harmful factors like pesticides and herbicides, pathogens, molds, plastics, toxic heavy metals, and more, enter your bloodstream, cause havoc to your immune system and flare up endometriosis.
Your liver can neutralize these factors, but if it’s rundown and sluggish then it’s not able to do that as well.
5. Screening and filtering your blood
Your liver also screens and filters toxic troublemakers and releases them out your colon, kidneys, or as a last resort as free radicals in your blood stream.
When your liver is too overburdened with toxins from the environment, viral load, or foods that can trigger immune responses, then your liver gets backed up and these poisons often leach into your lymphatic system.
6. Guarding you with immune system support
William shares in Medical Medium: Liver Rescue that your liver actually has its own powerful immune system that stops and contains viruses and bacteria.
Your liver’s ultimate goal is to protect you. It works hard for you every day.
Sluggish Liver Symptoms
When your liver is overburdened and slows down on fulfilling all it’s important duties, then different symptoms can arise, many of which we find with endometriosis. (See what can make your liver sluggish here.)
According to William, sluggish liver symptoms include:
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- swelling
- body temperature fluctuations
- low energy
- weight gain
- brain fog
- dark circles under your eyes
- blood sugar issues: pre-diabetes, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia
- frustration, irritability and anger
- anxiety
- depression
- sleep disturbances and insomnia
- constipation
- acid reflux
- bloating
- shoulder pain
- nausea
- backaches
- leg spasms or cramps
Your Liver, Dehydration and Dirty Blood
Another factor that influences how your liver is able to function is dehydration. Many of us with chronic illness are chronically dehydrated and this only adds to the issue.
Water is necessary for flushing things out from your liver, gut and lymphatic system.
When your body’s dehydrated then you’re more likely to experience a flare-up of endometriosis symptoms as inflammation increases. Your liver needs that fuel to help flush things out.
I’ll be sharing more on dehydration and endo in an upcoming post, so stay tuned!
On the Positive Side?
Now that you’re equipped with more knowledge on why your liver matters and how it can influence how you feel with endometriosis, the next step is to give your liver some love!
I’m hosting a free online Love your Liver Workshop, where I’ll share some tips you can implement to start to support your liver, so that you can feel better with endometriosis. It starts on August 15, 2019.
Do you relate to the symptoms that come from a sluggish liver?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Much LOVE,
